We like the big sins: you could go to hell for that… that's how we talk about hell.
Jesus is mentioning hell for the first time, and He says: how's the anger in your heart? Let's not talk about them. Let's not talk about the people not like us who like to blow themself up. Let's leave that to God. Let's not talk about them. Let's talk about your anger problem…
When was the last time you called someone an idiot? Let's talk about that. Let's talk about your tendency to be critical and judgemental when people don't do things exactly the way you think they should be done. Let's talk about your self-righteousness, in other words. Let's talk about your anger problem; your self-righteousness; and your tendency to be critical when your husband leaves a wet towel on the floor!
When was the last time you called someone an idiot, when they made a weird traffic move? So inside your car, with the windows up, you scream: you idiot! As if they can hear you - so really who's the one with the intelligence problem?
Anger is not an emotion you can afford to have. You lose 25% of your IQ when you get angry - which would make you retarded! Yes. Most people can't afford that. If you're here tonight and you're married, and you get in an argument and both of you get angry, you've got two mentally retarded people trying to solve a problem.
Has anybody here ever said something you've regretted when you were angry? Do you remember anything you've said that's smart, when you're angry? Why? Because you don't even have the capacity to think. Any man - don't raise your hand - any man in here ever put your flesh and bone fist into a brick wall or something?
Jesus is saying: if you want to talk about hell, let's talk about hell. Let's talk about hell. Let's talk about you today. Let's talk about the anger in your heart and why that's keeping you from being a minister of the kingdom power. Let's talk about your tendency to be judgemental, and critical, and self-righteous; and call someone else a fool just because they don't do things the way you think they should be done, as if you've cornered the market on truth. Let's talk about that, because that is putting your life in the garbage dump.
Some of us are going: man, I wish such and so was here to hear this! That hell is never about such and so. Hell is about you, and your heart attitude.
Are you bringing heaven to earth; or are you bringing Gehenna?
Are you bringing heaven to where there's Gehenna, or are you perpetuating the Gehenna, by perpetuating an anger problem, or a self-righteous, critical attitude? Jesus makes hell a whole lot more challenging for us.
2) The second mention of hell is in Matthew 10:26 (and again in Luke).
Matthew 10:26 – “therefore do not fear them”.
The Romans were ruling the world at that time. They had this thing where they could just come in your house, and they would tell everybody to get their coins out. So everybody would take out a coin, and on the coin it would say: “Caesar is Lord”.
Now if you're a good Jew: Jehovah is Lord, and there's no God but Jehovah. So these big Roman soldiers with spears and swords and shields and armour, they'd come in your house and they'd say: get out your coin. You'd get out your coin, and they'd say: can you say that? And if you would say that, they would make you a slave; but if you would not say that, they had five men outside nailing a cross into the ground, to put you on, in front of your neighbours.